I wonder why there are 'the usual ceremonies" whenever African presidents like the Fropessor are travelling. I would guess he doesn't know that these ceremonies are all inventions of the western colonial state that he loathes so much. Guards of Honor, Inspecting the Troops, Trooping the Colors, and Ceremonial Dresses are all legacies of subjecthood and mechanisms of control the colonial rulers used to 'show the Flag of Empire' and awe Her Majesty's subjects into perpetual submission.
Also - unless I'm missing something, in which case I apologize for asking this question - don't you think the Gambian nation should know why their chief representative and chief servant is coming to Washington? It's high time that the Fropessor and his likes start being more honest and open to their masters - the people.
His Excellency the President Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J Jammeh will leave for Washington DC in the United States of America on Thursday morning the 29th of December 2011, at 5am according to a release from State House. All those invited to see His Excellency the President and delegation off, are requested to be at the airport at least half an hour before departure for the usual ceremonies.